'The kurta needs to go'

Sujata Reddy speaks to Lakme Fashion Week debutant fashion designer Sherina Dalamal, on her passion for couture and art...

Sujata Reddy speaks to LFW debutant Sherina Dalamal, on her passion for couture.. and art...

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You’ve interned with the likes of Nicole Farhi and Alexander McQueen. What’s the most important lesson you learnt there?

I started interning with established designers nine years back.. when I was just 16. I was amazed to see the importance they gave to detailing. Even a thread out of place is considered blasphemous.. that’s why they’re the big daddies of fashion. It is difficult to maintain consistency and they’re doing just that.

Weren’t you too young to be interning at 16?
(Smiles) I’ve wanted my own label since I was much younger. My friends and family knew of my ambition.. the rest was just a matter of time.

You showed for the first time at the Lakme Fashion Week this year.. how was the experience?
It was fun. I’d been studying the collections at the LFW for two years now, so I knew what the buyers and audience wanted. My line was girlie and feminie.. a floral fantasy. It was a Spring/Summer line, so I indulged in colours. Many say that floral is overdone.. but this is my version.

Is there any trend you wish would fade away?
(Laughs) I think the kurta needs to go.. soon. But it’s a style staple in India and I have a hunch it will be around for a long, long time.

So, what’s your take on western couture here?
(Smiles) Not many Indian designers get the cuts right.. which is what western ensembles are all about. Having grown up in Europe, it’s a style I understand more clearly. Indian designers create beautiful embroidered outfits. But the cuts is where they fall slack.. which are nothing in comparison to the European ones.